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Kendall Dwayne Deas

Assistant Professor of Education Policy, Law, and Politics, University of South Carolina-Columbia

About Kendall

Deas's research focuses on seeking best practice models to improve public education in the U.S. Overarching themes in Deas's research include educational equity, school choice, school funding, culturally relevant teaching pedagogies, and race and diversity. Deas is a faculty affiliate of the Institute for Rural Education and Development and the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina. Deas serves on the faculty advisory board for the Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse at the University of South Carolina. Deas is the Editor-In-Chief for the Journal of Educational Foundations and Director of the Quality Education Project.

In the News

Quoted by Rose Cisneros in "SC House Recognizes AFAM Faculty Member for Public Education Advocacy," McCausland College of Arts and Sciences News, June 17, 2025.
Quoted by Bruce Mills in "Sumterite Wins State Educational Award for Outstanding Public Service," The Sumter Item, April 23, 2025.
Opinion: "Tim Scott Has Right Premise, Wrong Solutions on Education," Kendall Dwayne Deas, The Post and Courier, March 4, 2021.
Opinion: "Corporate Tax Breaks and the Cost for South Carolina’s Public Schools," Kendall Dwayne Deas, Charleston City Paper, November 6, 2020.
Quoted by Erin B. Logan in "Inside Pete Buttigieg’s Last-Ditch Effort to Win Black Voters in South Carolina," The Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2020.
Opinion: "Rein in Superintendent on Hiring, Transfering of Principals," Kendall Dwayne Deas (with Jon Hale), The Post and Courier, June 24, 2017.

Publications

""Something Inside So Strong": How the Historic Freedom School Program Can Sustain Liberatory Praxis in Today’s Schools" (with Jon N. Hale and Kristal Moore Clemons). Public Policy and Administration Review 11 (2025): 1-8.

Highlights the success of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools program in reducing summer learning loss and calls for clear state-level policies to expand the program in public schools nationwide.

"Sociopolitical, Socioeconomic, and Historical Contexts of Curriculum Policy" American International Journal of Social Science 13 (2024): 24-31.

Explores the evolution of U.S. curriculum policy since World War II through the lens of curriculum theory. Findings show that shifts in curriculum policy were driven by sociopolitical, socioeconomic, and historical factors, with educators aiming to create curricula that better integrated students into society.

"Legal Implications of Race-Based School Funding Policies to Close Racial Achievement Gaps in Education" Journal of Education & Social Policy 9, no. 1 (2022).

Examines the potential of directing school funding toward minority student populations as a way to reduce educational achievement gaps between Black and White students. Reviews existing literature showing a lack of such policies and finds a link between funding and outcomes in underfunded districts. 

"EPSCOR: State Science and Technology-Based Economic Development Policies and the Role of Higher Education Institutions" International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 11, no. 8 (2021).

Reviews state science and technology-based economic development policies, highlighting the key role of higher education institutions, especially through initiatives like EPSCOR. 

"Evaluating Common Core: Are Uniform Standards a Silver Bullet for Education Reform?" The Journal of Educational Foundations 31, no. 3 (2018): 47-62.

Examines the Common Core State Standards Initiative and provides a policy analysis of issues concerning its implementation as a policy initiative to achieve education reform in the U.S.